Ahead of the school holidays kicking off, Santander UK is urging holidaymakers to stay alert when booking travel and accommodation for their upcoming summer break.
New Santander data1 published today reveals that July is a hot month for holiday scams, with Santander customers reporting almost £34,000 of losses last July, with expectation that this July is likely to overtake last.
Key data reveals:
• In the first half of this year, Santander saw 85 customers report holiday scams, three times more than the same period last year.
• The number of airline scams reported have tripled year-on-year, with Santander customers losing more than £100,000 to fake flights in 2023, compared to £38,600 in 2022.
• Rental scams have more than quadrupled in the first half of 2024, when compared to the same period in 2023. Those hardest hit by them tend to be 19-34 year olds, losing on average £1,540.
Chris Ainsley, Head of Fraud Risk Management at Santander said: “With the British summer proving an absolute washout so far, it makes sense that lots of us are planning to get away over the summer holidays and catch a few rays. But don't let the sun blind you from the scammers.
“It’s important to stay alert when booking holidays online and to make sure that the site you are using or the person you’re speaking to is legitimate. Don’t let enticing pictures of blue skies and empty beaches on your social media feeds distract you from spotting a scam. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
Top tips to avoid scammers when booking your next holiday include:
• Always take time to think before making a payment, especially if it’s a lot of money like flights or accommodation. Speak to someone you trust first, like a friend or family member.
• Be extra careful with adverts for cheap deals, particularly those with a sense of urgency that might be phishing. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Pay extra attention to the warnings we provide when making a payment. They’re in place to help you bank safely and avoid being scammed.
• Anyone can be easily impersonated, and criminals can make the caller ID, email address or name look exactly like the genuine caller. So, if you get an email, text or call, check it’s genuine by phoning them back on a known and trusted number.
• Always take time to complete extra checks when you make a payment. This is to make sure the person and the payment are genuine. This can be reading reviews, researching companies or websites, and checking the person or company is who they say they are.
• Enable personal device security features before your trip, like ‘Find My Phone’ or ‘Stolen Device Protection’ (for iOS), to ensure you are protected if you lose your phone while you’re away. You can block your device as soon as you notice it’s missing to stop criminals accessing your accounts.
• Santander’s fraud team operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
More information about different types of fraud and how to spot a scam is available on the Santander website.
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Notes to editors
Santander data from 2023 to 2024
Santander UK is a financial services provider in the UK that offers a wide range of personal and commercial financial products and services. At 31 December 2023, the bank had around 19,800 employees and serves around 14 million active customers, 7 million digital customers via a nationwide 444 branch network, telephone, mobile and online banking. Santander UK is subject to the full supervision of the FCA and the PRA in the UK. Santander UK plc customers’ eligible deposits are protected by the FSCS in the UK.
Banco Santander (SAN SM, STD US, BNC LN) is a leading commercial bank, founded in 1857 and headquartered in Spain and one of the largest banks in the world by market capitalization. The group’s activities are consolidated into five global businesses: Retail & Commercial Banking, Digital Consumer Bank, Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB), Wealth Management & Insurance and Payments (PagoNxt and Cards). This operating model allows the bank to better leverage its unique combination of global scale and local leadership. Santander aims to be the best open financial services platform providing services to individuals, SMEs, corporates, financial institutions and governments. The bank’s purpose is to help people and businesses prosper in a simple, personal and fair way. Santander is building a more responsible bank and has made a number of commitments to support this objective, including raising €220 billion in green financing between 2019 and 2030. In the first quarter of 2024, Banco Santander had €1.3 trillion in total funds, 166 million customers, 8,400 branches and 211,000 employees.